Thanks to cable summer schedules, we get to enjoy many of our favorite actors in multiple programs. One of my favorites, Carrie Preston, is currently starring in True Blood on HBO over the summer and during the regular season can be seen as a recurring character on CBS’s The Good Wife. I had a chance to interview her about her two diverse characters.

Like many of the characters on the show, Arlene on True Blood differs vastly from Arlene in the Sookie Stackhouse novels. What has it been like creating your own version of the character with Alan Ball and the writers? Do you have a lot of input?

At this point, the writers have taken the premise of the novels and totally run with it. I trust them to take Arlene where she needs to go. I don’t have any input with the writing, but once I get to set, they trust me to interpret the words how I see fit. At this point, there’s a natural flow.

Thanks to Patrick’s (Scott Foley) arrival, Terry (Todd Lowe) has spiraled even further down the rabbit hole than normal. How will Arlene continue to cope (or not) with that?

As we’ve already seen this season, Patrick’s arrival has put a great strain on the marriage. Arlene’s family comes first, so she will do what she needs to do to protect that.

Will we see the children more? Where’s the baby? I worry the ghost came back and took him.

This season is really more about Terry’s past than the kids. As we saw at the end of the season 4, Mikey was just a normal baby who was being controlled by a troubled ghost. Once Mavis was reunited with her own baby, Mikey was released from whatever hold she had on him.

Most of the other characters have something supernatural going – even Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) is getting that creepy brujo mask now – do you ever get jealous of all the fun powers the other characters have? Or are you just glad you don’t have to learn to talk with the fangs?

I definitely think the vampires have more fun on our show! I used to amuse myself by picturing Arlene as some kind of supernatural. But there are too many of them now. I think they need someone to hold down the human fort. And I think Arlene is the woman for the job.

If you could choose what happens to Arlene, end game, what would you like to happen?

I would like her to start her own restaurant or her own nail salon or something like that. She’s practically running Merlotte’s at this point, so I think she would be ready to be the boss!

Be sure to catch Carrie Preston every Sunday night on HBO at 9pm on True Blood. Stay tuned for the rest of this Carrie Preston Interview!She discusses her wacky character on The Good Wife, and her recent directorial effort (“That’s What She Said”) that all of Hollywood is excited about.